Don't Dream It's Over
by HannahBanana94
Summary: Charlie Branning never had a family. Her mum died when she was young, she never met her dad and was raised by her elderly grandmother. After the discovery of her birth certificate, she suddenly receives a huge extended family in Walford and beyond.
1. The Secret Sister

**Summary: **_Charlie Branning never had a family. Her mum died when she was young, she never met her dad and was raised by her elderly grandmother. After the discovery of her birth certificate, she suddenly receives a huge extended family in Walford and beyond. _

_**Disclaimer: I do not own eastenders or anything else featured. the only things i won are Charlie Branning and Gina Higgins. **_

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**Chapter One**

Jack stared down at the sheet of paper in front of him. He had gone in search of his birth certificate, which he hadn't seen in years, and came across this in his fathers house. It was a birth certificate, but not his own, or any of his siblings. He kept reading it over and over again.

**Certified Copy of an Entry of Bith**

**Registration District: **_City of __London_

**Birth In Sub-District:** _Newham_  
**In the county of: **_Greater London _

**No.** _192  
_**When and Where Born **_13 April 1994_  
**Name, if any **_Charlotte Mary_  
**Sex **_Boy _**  
Name, and surname of Father **_James Archibald Branning _**  
Name, surname and maiden name of Mother **_Katherine Elizabeth Higgins _**  
Occupation of Father **_Retired _**  
**

According to this, his father had had another child with a woman when he was still married to his mother. He knew what it meant, but he couldn't wrap his head around it. He knew his parents marriage wasn't perfect and by 1994, he was already 22 and a police officer. He wouldn't have know if his mother even knew about this other child. He read over it again and again. 1994. She'd be just turned 17. Not much younger than his niece, Lauren. Her niece too. If this is true. If could be a forgery. A scheme made up to try and get some money out of an old retired man. He'd seen it before in his police days. The fact that Jim drank regularly then made it easier. A drunken bunk up. But, that's what it could have been. A drunken one night stand. 9 months later, along came Polly. Or Charlotte, as she was named. Newham wasn't far away either so that only made it more likely. This was going over and over again in his head. Another sister. A younger sister.

He'd already contacted one of his old connections. He was checking to either confirm or deny the authenticity of this birth certificate. And, if there was anyway, find out if she was actually his sister, like if her DNA was on file or something like that. It had been a couple of days since he called him and he was still waiting to hear the news. He said he'd call around once he heard and still nothing. Sometimes these things took time. You have to go at the right time and make sure you're not caught out doing it, which usually meant all hours of the night, and only during a select number of nights.

A boring reality show played on the TV as a knock came to the door. Jack sprung up from his seat on the couch and opened the door. A tall man in a nice suit stood at the door.

"How are you, mate?" Jack said giving him a firm handshake "Come on in."

"Nice to see you again, Jack," The man said as Jack closed the door behind him "On your own, now?"

"Yeah," Jack said somberly "So, Keith, did you get what I asked for?"

"I sure did," He said, reaching into his jacket pocket and extracting a folded up envelope "Congratulations, it's a girl."

"So it's true?" Jack asked emptying the contents of the envelope out onto the kitchen counter.

"It sure is," The man in the suit said "I done as much digging as I can too. Her name is Charlotte Branning, but friends call her Charlie. Just turned 17 two months back. Had a huge party. All over Facebook," Jack shook his head at him as he continued to explain "Her mother died back about 12 years back. Got the big 'C' pretty bad. Was just 49 and all. She's lived with her Grandmother since. Has been singing, acting and dancing since she was a young un'. Very talented, I may add. Found a clip on YouTube."

"Is that all?" Jack asked, flipped through different documents and pictures that Keith had collected. The pictures were either school or ones he's collected from her Facebook account. She was very pretty. In her school pictures, she sat with a wide, white smile breaking across her small, oval face. Her wide brown eyes gleaming against the camera's flash. In the Facebook pictures, her slim, toned body was on show in nice dresses. Her long dark brown hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, stopped below her ribs.

"Yeah, just about," Keith finished "Oh, and she still lives in Newham. Not far away. About 20 minutes. Her address is down here."

"And you're 100% sure?" Jack asked again.

"Yeah, done a DNA test and all," Keith said "She's your baby sister."

"Great," Jack said, sighing in defeat. The works were still sinking in. He has a baby sister.

"I, ugh, best be heading now," Keith said, clearing his throat.

"Yeah," Jack said pulling an envelope of money from his jacket pocket and handing it to his old friend.

"Nice seeing you again, Jack" Keith said opening the door, "You know where I am." He closed the door behind him, leaving Jack pondering again. Should he or shouldn't he go and see her?


	2. My Charlotte

**Summary: **_Charlie Branning never had a family. Her mum died when she was young, she never met her dad and was raised by her elderly grandmother. After the discovery of her birth certificate, she suddenly receives a huge extended family in Walford and beyond. _

_**Disclaimer: I do not own eastenders or anything else featured. the only things i won are Charlie Branning and Gina Higgins. **_

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**Chapter Two**

Jack sat in his car across the road from a nice little terraced house in Newham. There was a small from garden with a small stretch of grass surrounded by flowery plants. It looked lovely. Nice and pleasant. A nice place to grow up. It was a nice area of the borough. Mainly older couples who moved there after marriage and still lived there today. He figured it was the right time and exited his car. His stride across the street was met by a stare from an elderly couple out for an evening stroll. He closed the button of his suit jacket before making his way through the small iron gate that separated the street from the the Higgins property. Jack waited after ringing the doorbell, before a small graying woman answered the door. She looked up towards the tall, handsome man.

"May I help you?" She questioned. He sighed before answering.

"I'm looking for Charlotte Branning," Jack stated, sneakily taking a peak down the hallway behind her.

"She's not here at the moment," The elderly woman replied "She's not in trouble is she? Because, I can assure you that my Charlotte isn't like that. She's a good girl. She wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone do anything wrong-"

"I'm not here because of that," Jack said, looking around at the parallel flower pots at either side of the door "Are you her grandmother?"

"Yes. Yes, I am," She answered.

"Then, do have any idea when she'll be back?" Jack asked.

"Why?" The elderly woman asked again.

"Because, I want to speak to her," Jack answered vaguely.

"I'm not letting a stranger into my home," Gina said standing her ground at the door "Because, he wants to speak to my granddaughter."

"Well, I can just go wait in my car until she comes home," Jack said "Or you could let me in now. Your choice."

"Not until you tell me what you want with my granddaughter," Gina said, raising her chin upwards.

"I'm her brother," Jack answered "Or, half-brother, whatever you want to call it."

"Come in," Gina invited him, a little surprised. Jack nodded in reply and stepped over the threshold. It was a small dark hallway with an old carpet and pictures hanging on the walls, ranging from a black and white photo of who he presumed to be the elderly woman and her presumably late husband to baby pictures of a brown eyes toddler with her dark brown hair in pigtails. Charlie. Jack turned around to see the small woman extending her hand to him "I'm Gina, by the way. Gina Higgins."

"Jack Branning," He said, shaking her hand.

"This is a surprise," Gina said, leading the way into the living room "I've never been paid a visit by anyone from _his _side of the family."

"Well, I only just found out myself," Jack explained "None of us knew."

"There's more?" Gina asked "Oh, and please sit."

"Thanks you," Jack said, sitting in the middle of the little cream couch, while Gina made herself comfortable in an air chair by the fire "And yes. I am the youngest of six. Well, not the youngest anymore."

"Six?" Gina questioned, to which Jack nodded a reply "My goodness. And none of you knew?"

"No," Jack replied "Do you know the story then?"

"Apparently, it was a one night stand nearly 18 years ago now," Gina explained "We were surprised. She was 43, with no children or husband. She was very career focused, my Katherine, before she died. She did tell him. Your father. Sent him a birth certificate and photo after she was born. She never heard anything from him. She did say he was older with a wife and children, so it would be unlikely if we did hear anything. Where is he now?"

"He's in a nursing home," Jack explained "He had a stoke a couple of years back. My step-mother, Dot, did care for him for a while, but she was too old."

"I would say the poor fellow, but after the way he treated my daughter," Gina began, but chose not to finish the sentence.

"So, do you know when she'll be back?" Jack questioned.

"Not for a while, she has practice," Gina answered "And I'm not letting you speak to her under these conditions."

"What conditions?" Jack asked.

"You suddenly turning up on my doorstep looking for her," Gina replied.

"I'm her brother," Jack stated.

"I'm her grandmother and legal guardian seeing as she's still a minor," Gina said "Now, I'd like you to go. You can leave your number and after I've told her, she can call you, if she wishes." Jack glared across the room at an elderly Gina. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, before it was shattered by the sound of the door opening and closing.

"Nan?" A young, feminine voice called out "Practice was cancelled for this evening, but-" then she appeared in the doorway. She was tall and slim, wearing a pair of baggy, laser cut, dark grey tracksuit bottoms, a red 'fun' sweatshirt, white high top sneakers and had a green backpack slouching over her shoulders. All of her long brown hair was tied back into a high ponytail, with the exception of a few tendrils hanging around her face. She lifted her head up from the mobile phone in her hands to see the handsome stranger, sitting in her living room "Hi. Ugh, Nan. Who's this?"

"I'm Jack," He said standing up, walking towards the 17 year old with his hand extended for a handshake "Jack Branning." While shaking his hand, Charlie looked over towards her grandmother surprised.

"He says he's your brother, Charlotte," Gina stated and Charlie's eyes grew wide, looking back at the 30-something male standing in front of her.

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**Thanks for the feedback :) Hope you liked this chapter as well :D**

**Angie402: Thanks for the review, hun :P Yeah, I know. I love OC stories and never can find any. I think I've read every single one in the EE section :L Yes, I am definately planning a romance later on. I do have something else planned, so it will come after that. Lets say it'll happen about now. This is set about June/July of 2011, well this chapter is anyway. There is a time jump between this one and the next. Or was it the next one and chapter four. I can't remember :L But, yeah. I won't use Joey. Mostly because Joey/Lauren are my fav couple at the minutes :P I have another branning story in progress and she's rocking up at christmas this year, so i decided to do something different. Um, I was thinking Nina Dobrev, from the Vampire Diaries would portray her. That's who I described in the last chapter. I would have updated earlier too, if I hadn't something planned today. I began writing this around 8 o clock on the 29th december, so we'll see when it's actually posted. Anyway thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed :D**

**under-the-stars-again: thanks :) I hope you enjoyed it :P**


	3. You're Joking Right?

**Summary: **_Charlie Branning never had a family. Her mum died when she was young, she never met her dad and was raised by her elderly grandmother. After the discovery of her birth certificate, she suddenly receives a huge extended family in Walford and beyond. _

_**Disclaimer: I do not own eastenders or anything else featured. the only things i won are Charlie Branning and Gina Higgins. **_

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**Chapter Three**

"_He says he's your brother, Charlotte,_"

Those words echoed around her head as she walked down the dark streets of London. She had ran out hours ago. Tears were still falling from her eyes. She didn't even mutter a word to him. **Her brother**. This had to be a joke. It couldn't be real. She had gone her whole life believing she was an only child. She had pushed the thought of her father having other children out of her mind long ago. She accepted she was an only child. She never expected that one day, a sibling, or half-sibling she should say, would turn up on her doorstep. Hell, he was like nearly forty. How old would that make her own father. She knew her mother wasn't as young as the other mothers of her friends, but, damn, she didn't have a twenty-something year old son by the time she came along. At least, one she didn't know of. Who knows what the seventies were like?

It was bitterly cold. Although it was June, she lived in England, so that kind of cancelled it out. All she had on was a sweatshirt. She didn't think, did she? Her hands were concealed under the cuffs of her sleeves. She frame was wrecked with shivers. Slowly, she turned and began to make her way home. Street lamps guided her on her journey home, until she was blinded by an oncoming car. Obviously, it was in the street and she was on the path. She's not a total idiot, walking down the middle of a street at night. God, give her credit. She stopped, when the car pulled up beside her and the window rolled down. She was about to tell who ever it was to move along, she wasn't a prostitute, but she recognized the man behind the wheel. Jack Branning, her brother.

"Get in the car, it's freezing out here," Was all he said, cocking his head in the direction of the passenger seat. Charlotte stood her ground. She didn't trust him. She didn't trust anyone, but her Nan.

"Why should I?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because, your Nan is worried sick," He stated. Charlotte sighed, before walking around the front of the car to get into the passenger seat. Closing the door behind her, Charlotte sat in silence with her arms still folded roughly across her chest. She wasn't going to speak. _I mean, what right did he have turning up here?_ She thought, glancing over at him at the corner of her eyes. He was sharply dressed in a nice, high-quality suit. He seemed to keep himself in shape.

_I want your lovin', I was your- _

"Ugh, Can I, _please_, turn over that crappy song?" Charlotte said, rolling her eyes and looking over at him. He gave one sight at the unimpressed look on her face and agreed with a nod to his head "Thank you." She began fiddling with the radio of his car before settling on whatever-fm radio.

_You say you've cried a thousand rivers and now you're swimming for the shore..._

"Bon Jovi?" Jack asked her, after recognizing the now ancient song.

"Yay, you actually have a taste in music," Charlotte said, a sarcastic and unimpressed tone to her voice.

"You saying I don't have a taste in music?" Jack asked.

"Sorry, but you look like a guy who's more into Mozart than Morrison," Charlotte stated "And that's _Jim_ Morrison, not _Van _Morrison."

"Excuse me, I grew up in East London," Jack began "The last music we listened to was Mozart and aren't you a little...young for Bon Jovi?"

"Aren't you a little old to have coloring book and pencils?" Charlotte asked back quickly, seeing them resting on the floor of the car.

"They're for my daughter," Jack said, and Charlotte immediately shut up. No way in hell did she want to talk about the other side of her family. The only she only ever heard about today "She'd like you. Doesn't have any aunts in London. It's only my brother that lives around Walford." He kept peaking over towards her to see if she'd show any interest. Instead she stared out the car window into the dark London streets "He's got kids too. Lauren's a bit older than you. Then there's Abi and Osc-"

"No offence," Charlotte spoke up, sick of hearing about it. She didn't wait to hear about it nor did she want to know "but, I really don't care."

"Right."

The silence was re-instated. Charlotte was actually impressed at how far away she'd walked from her house. Once they pulled up, Charlotte wasted no time in throwing off her seat belt and opening the door to get out.

"Look, thanks and all for giving me a lift home," Charlotte said, turning back to look at Jack before she got out of the car fully "But, I don't want to get to know you or any other family that comes along. I'm happy with my life. I don't want it ruined. So, I'd be grateful if you don't come around again." She slid out of the car and before she closed the door, turned back around "It was nice meeting you, Jack."

"You too," He replied and she closed the door. He sat there for a minute and waited up Charlotte had knocked on the door of the house. In the heat of the moment, she ran out without her keys. Gina opened the door and pulled the girl into a hug. It was then Jack drove off.

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**Raandom, Jasmin Jade xx - Thanks very much girls. Hope you enjoyed it and hopefully you don't have to wait 72 years for another chapter. **

**Angie402 - Aww thank you! I have actually forgotten who I was going to pair her with. I know, ridiculous! But, I still remember what I have planned. I'll just need to figure out a new pairing. Reading back on my last review, obviously I can't use Joey. It's worse than a cousin incest relationship, it's an aunt/uncle incest. No, just. No. The new story, well, hmmm... Because I L-O-V-E Max and Tanya together, it won't be Kirsty rocking up at christmas. That's all I'm going to say. hope you enjoyed it :D**

**under-the-stars-again - Aww, fanks! I know, like I said, I've probably read every single one of them :P I have no life... Anyway, thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy it. **


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